Atikokan, 200km west of Thunder Bay, is home to the Beaten Path Nordic Trails ski club, boasting more than 50km of trails, so I made sure to wedge my cross-country ski gear into the car on a pre-Christmas visit to the in-laws. To be honest, the conditions were merely ok: low grey skies, temperature right around the zero mark, and a brisk wind blowing fine snowflakes around. Still, I had been craving a ski, and the fact that my four-year-old had just received a toy microphone for a gift confirmed my decision to get some fresh air for an hour or so.